Loom harness



J. J. KAUFMANN LOOM HARNESS March 16, 1937.A

Filed Sept. 24, 1955 Patented Mar. 16, 1937 2,073,936 LooM HARNESS John Jacob Kaufmann,

Elkins Park, Pa., assgnor to Steel Heddle Manufacturing Company,

Philadelphia, Pa., a vania corporation of Pennsyl- Application September 24, 1935, Serial No. 41,859

4 Claims.

This invention relates to loom harness, and has more particular relation tothe construction of the end portions of loom harness heddles made from thin flat strips of metal or wire.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of the end portions of flat metallic heddles whereby, while the heddles will be permitted to have the necessary freedom of movement with respect to their supporting bars, wear of the heddles at these portions will be greatly reduced, and breakage therevof minimized. r Y

Heretofore, in the use of heddles made of thin, ilat metal or wire, which are` mounted in the heddle frame by means of supporting bars, it has `been customary to provi-de the heddles at one end or both ends with portions offset out of the main plane of the body of the heddle, these offsets being provided to prevent the heddles from turning on their verticalaxes, which would interfere with the free passage of the warp ends through the eyes of the heddles.

It has also been customary, in heddle frame constructions, to provide hook members for sup- '25 porting the heddle bars intermediate their ends to prevent the same from bending, and also to prevent them from projecting beyond the side faces of the top and bottom shafts of the heddle frame and thereby fouling on adjacent frames *530 in the loom when the shedding takes place.

Itis, of course, well known that heddles of this type, for their` most eicient operation, must be permitted a slight up and down movement with respect to the bars on which they are mounted,

i 35 as otherwise they are apt to bunch and bind on the bars and cause faults in the weave. On account of this movement of the heddles with respect to the supporting rods, `the heddles, particularly those immediately adjacent the heddle bar 40 supporting members, frequently become worn through and broken by reason of the constant rubbing of the offset portions ofthe heddles against the supporting bars and against the bar supporting members.

It is also well known that whenever a heddle breaks the loom must be stopped, the damaged heddle'removed, arepair heddle inserted in place thereof, and the warp end passed through the eye of the repair heddle. Furthermore, unless the 50 broken heddle is immediately detected a defect in the cloth occurs, with consequent loss. It i also frequently occurs in the use of the heddles of the form now most commonly used that the offset in the Shanks of the eye portion of one 55 heddle will be caught or jammed under the Shanks of the eye portion of the next adjacent heddle, thereby binding the heddles against movement both vertically and longitudinally with respect to the heddle bars.

The present invention, therefore, contemplates the provision of an improved form of heddle which is so constructed and arranged as to minimize the breakage of the heddles as hereinbefore set forth.

The invention further contemplates providing a heddle having an improved end construction l wherebythe wearing qualities of the` heddle are improved and at the same time a better mounting for the heddle is obtained.

The invention also contemplates providing a heddle having an improved construction of the end portions thereof which will prevent undesired turning of the heddles in the harness frame, so that all the warp eyes will stand in substantially the same angular position, and so that the heddles may properly nest together if required, as is sometimes necessary in close installation for weaving fabrics of high count, this construction of the end portions, however, being such that likelihood of the offset in the Shanks of the eye portion of one heddle jamming under the shanks of the eye portion of an adjacent heddlewill be virtually eliminated.

The nature and characteristic features of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, in which:

j Figure l is an elevation of a fragmentary portion of a harness frame having mounted therein heddles embodying the main features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view, in elevation, of one end portion of a heddle and a heddle bar, illustrating the preferred relationship thereof in accordance with the present invention, the next adjacent heddle being illustrated in dotted lines in shifted relationship;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged face View of the portion of the heddle shown in Fig. 2, and the heddle bar, which is shown in section; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the end portion of the improved heddle removed from the heddle bar.

It will, of course, be understood that the description and drawing herein contained are illustrative merely, and that various modifications and changes may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

CII

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the loom harness there shown consists of a heddle frame having the usual top and bottom rails I0, preferably made of wood and connected at their ends in any suitable manner, as is well known in the art. Extending from end to end of the heddle frame, and arranged near the top and bottom rails I0, are the usual heddle bars I I upon which the heddles I2 are mounted.

Heddle bar supporting devices, such as the hooks at I3, are mounted in each of the top and bottom rails I0, for engagement with the heddle bars II, in order that the heddle bars may be supported in a parallel position with respect to each other and with respect to the rails I0. The heddle bar supporting devices may be of any preferred type, although for the purpose of illustrating the present invention a simple form of hook, as shown at I3, has been selected.

Each of the heddles I2 is made from a thin flat strip of metal and comprises main body portions, an eye portion I4, and end portions. The eye portion I4 may be twisted or offset, in any preferred form and in the well known manner. The end portions of the heddles are provided with slots I5 which permit a limited vertical movement of the heddles I2 with respect to the heddle bars I I.

The end portions of each of the heddles are also provided with portions as at I6 and I'I, which are inclined with respect to the main body portions, and with at portions therebetween as at I8. The iiat portions I8 are parallel to the main body portions but are offset out of the plane thereof, in the same direction on each side of the bar II, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The extremities I9 of the end portions of the heddle are preferably disposed in the same plane as that of the main body portions.

The relationship between the length of the slot I5, the length of the offset fiat portions I8, and the width of the heddle bar II, is such that in either the up or the down position of the heddle I2 with respect to the bar II, all or substantially all of the offset flat portion I8 on each side of the bar will be disposed within the limits defined by the top and bottom edges of said bar, thereby affording the greatest possible resistance to twisting of the heddle during the operation of the harness.

'Ihe length of the offset flat portions I8 is also preferably equal to or greater than half the height of the heddle supporting bar II, so that a bearing surface of considerable extent is provided at the portions of the heddle which contact and rub against the heddle bar supporting devices, as well as at the portions thereof which rub against the side faces of the heddle bar I I.

The conformation of the end portions of the heddles, which include the inclined portions I6 and I1 and the offset fiat portions I8, permits nesting of the heddles where desired for close installations.

It will be noted, by reference to Fig. 2, that the offset part of the shank of the eye portion of one of the heddles will, when said heddle is shifted longitudinally with respect to the next adjacent heddle, bear against the portion thereof' which is supported against distortion by the metal of the full width of the strip. Hence there will be less danger of the offset in the shank portion in one heddle jamming under the shank of the eye portion of the next adjacent heddle, this by reason of the peculiar conformation of the offset of the eye portion as hereinbefore set forth.

I claim:

1. In a loom harness frame, heddle supporting bars and heddles mounted thereon, each of said heddles being made of a thin fiat strip of metal and having slots in its end portions for mounting the heddle on the bars, an end portion of the heddle being provided with flat portions disposed in a plane offset out of the main plane of the body portion of the heddle in the same direction on each side of the heddle bar, the width of said end portion being uniform with that of the body portion of the heddle, and the relationship between the length of the slot, the length and location of the offset flat portions, and the width of the heddle bar being such as to permit up and down motion of the heddle with respect to the bar but to such extentonly that substantially all of the offset at portion on each side of the bar will be disposed Within limits defined by the top and bottom edges of the bar.

2. In a loom harness frame, heddle supporting bars and heddles mounted thereon, each of said heddles being made of a thin fiat strip of metal and having slots in its end portions for mounting the heddle on the bars, an end portion of the heddle being provided with flat portions disposed in a plane oifset out of the main plane of the body portion of the heddle in the same direction on each side of the heddle bar, the oifset at portion being connected to the body portion and to the extremities by inclined portions, the width of said end portion being uniform with that of the body portion of the heddle, and the relationshipbetween the length of the slot, the length and location of the offset flat portions, and the width of the heddle bar being such as to permit up and down motion of the heddle with respect to the bar but to such extent only that substantially all of the oifset fiat portion on each sideof the bar will be disposed within limits defined by the top and bottom edges of the bar. y

3. In a loom harness frame, heddle supporting bars and heddles mounted thereon, each of said heddles being made of a thin flat strip of metal and having slots in its end portions for mounting the heddle on the bars, an end portion of the heddle being provided with flat portions disposed in a plane oiset out of the main plane of the body portion of the heddle in the same direction on each side of the heddle bar, the extremity of the end portion being disposed in the same plane as the body portion, the width of said end portion being uniform with that of the body portion of the shuttle, and the relationship between the length of the slot, the length and location of the oiTset flat portions, and the width of the heddle bar being such as to permit up and down motion of the heddle with respect to the bar but to such extent only that substantially all of the offset flat portion on each side of the bar will be disposed within limits defined by the top and bottom edges of the bar.

4. In a loom harness frame, heddle supporting bars and heddles mounted thereon, each of said heddles being made of a thin flat strip of metal and having slots in its end portions for mounting the heddle on the bars, an end portion of the heddle being provided with fiat portions disposed in a plane offset out of the main plane of the body portion of the heddle in the same direction on each side of the heddle bar, the extremity of the end portion being disposed in the same plane as the body portion, the offset flat portion being connected to the body portion and to the extremities by inclined portions, the Width of said end portion being uniform with that of the body portion of the shuttle, and the relationship between the length of the slot, the length and location of the offset at portions, and the Width of the heddle bar being such as to permit up and down motion of the heddle with respect to the bar but to such extent only that substantially all of the oset flat portion on each side of thebar will be disposed within limits denned by the top and bottom edges of the bar.

JOHN JAooB KAUFMANN.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent NO. 2,073,936. l March 16, 1937.

JOHN JACOB KAUFMANN.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, second Column, line 55, and page 3, first column, line 4, claims 3 and 4 respectively, for the word "shuttle" read heddle; and that the said Letters Patent should be readwith these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of' the oase in the Patent Office.

Signed. and sealed this 20th day of April, A. D. 1937.

Henry Van Arsdale (Saal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

